This is one of the supreme jewels of this vital and transformative period of the Dead. It is solid throughout. The Smokestack, one of the best, makes a humongous opener, follwed up by another comparative rarity of the period, Morning Dew, on a comparable scale. Sittin On Top of the World is another rare one, and a stellar performance, as is the China Cat > Ride that follows. And then, the concluding 75 minutes is all primal GD, absolutely peak. The Dark Star is a great one, the Stephen > NFA > Stephen is unique, with the transition back into Stephen especailly fine, and then one of the top Lovelights, with a geninely sweet and endearing rap from Pigpen and shapely jamming throughout. This show is not only the best of the run but among the best of the year. Ten stars.

Many thanks and kudos also, for the heads who prepared this excellent composite.

Great comments but no mention of the 35 minute+ Lovelight! You know Jerry enjoyed the back and forth between good old Rod McKernan and everybody else! Also, a killer Morning Dew and Dark Star, portending in a really cool way what would be one of the best years for the Grateful Dead: 1970!

Easily my favorite cut.

The SBD stuff is priceless....Smokestack we remember from Bear's Choice. Lovelight = classic Pig.

And then there's this:

St Stephen >
NFA >
St Stephen

Those transitions show a band totally, completely competent. I love '70 SBD due to the fact you can hear Bobby so cleanly and clearly.

The last of five days in San Fran (four of them at the Fillmore West) of which four have been (partially) officially released . Bill Graham jokes about the New Orleans bust and gives Jer a copy of the single (or photo jacket) by Michael James Brody. Bluesman Taj Mahal was followed by one long Dead set. One of a handful of shows I would argue needs a proper release for the middle section (which they apparently have in the vault).

Smokestack goes straight into the jam and, though always nice, this version is a bit vampish (next week's was much better). There were only 5 in '70, but TC had just left the band so they needed some Pig filler. Morning Dew & Dire Wolf are good performances hindered today by poor sources. There were only 6 versions of Sitting On Top of the World in '70 and this may be the best. If you can get past the quality, the same can be said for China Cat>Rider. Hopefully it will get released as it's up there with 1/18 & 2/13, maybe better than 6/24 and 10/04. Dark Star is average '70 (there are so many, you can be choosy). The Saint Stephen sandwich with Not Fade is great fun. Between 4min and 6min into the latter Jer seriously digs in. Some sections of the 35min Love Light are good but most are you-had-to-be-there.
Grade = B-   /  3 ½ Stars
 
Highlights:
Sitting On Top of the World - No longer a set standard by '70 yet played great
China Cat Sunflower>I Know You Rider - shines through tinniness
Not Fade Away - bookended by two short Stephens

SOURCES: The cotsman composite is the best , compiling best available sources, though the balance is way off in places and you need the cousinit AUD for the 4 middle songs (for the AUDs, playback in mono with some EQ works better). From the end of Dark Star on is SBD. Smokestack and Sitting are bonus tracks on Bear's Choice.

Actually really good, but the recording is a bit tinny & phased.

Great Smokestack Lightning! Nice Sitting On Top, Dark Star> St. Steven> Not Fade> St. Steven> Lovelight (short Tighten Up jam). Rest fair for era.
Significant sound problems.

This is one of the first Grateful Dead shows I listened to and it still remains a subtle display of just how powerful the band is. Though it is not epic in size and the sound quality is not super clean, it makes up for it in how real the songs are played. The Smokestack on here makes you feel like your riding a train, the Morning Dew is absolutely gorgeous with the effects working perfectly with the definition of the song, Jerry chiming in with Bobby on the high part in China Cat, Top Of The World sounding so good you really feel on top of the world. And that's just the first set. The second set features one of the best Hurt Me Too's, followed by a Dark Star so majestic crashing into that way far out middle part, a really solid St. Stephen > Not Fade Away > St. Stephen and a massive Lovelight to finish the show off proper. Thanks to the providers of this wonderful show!

Smokeyest Smokestack Lightning ever!

Thats it...

nice st. stephen - nfa - st. stephen, and the lovelight is unique from the ones up to this date.

any show that opens with Smokestack is alright with me.....

I'm cherry-picking the SBD stuff off of this one, although I'm taking the entire Lovelight. The audience source is really quite good throughout. This is far from a mediocre show! The band is hot, and when they start cooking in Lovelight...just listen to the interplay between Garcia and Weir(in the SBD section). It doesn't get any better than this. If a complete/pristine copy exists, I'd nominate it for a DP release, and run right out and buy it. I'll have to give this 3 stars overall, but the 2nd set really rates 5. Stream it, and you decide.

Surprised I'm the first review, but i think people sometimes pass over a show that hasn't been reviewed.
Well the sound quality is better than average or thereabouts, good all around mix save for the drums which are a bit low, but not too badly.
Worth a listen and maybe the download, but in a great year just average.